A FAIR SHOT
FOR ALL WASHINGTONIANS:
JOBS & OPPORTUNITY
Since 2015, unemployment has dropped in all eight wards. In January 2015, citywide unemployment was at 7.4%. Before the pandemic hit, unemployment hit a low of 4.9%, then peaked in April 2020 at 11.1%. In the fall of 2021, unemployment dropped to 6.0%.
“First question is: how could one opportunity change your life? ...I was born in Ecuador and in 2016 I moved to this beautiful city. ...After I moved to this beautiful city, fortunately, the Solar Works DC program started shortly and I decided to apply. What makes this program so great is the opportunity to really learn the fundamentals of this industry. ...It’s a chance to work your way up and carry the experience and knowledge you learn on the ground floor throughout the full process when you build your career. ...I’m proud to say we are the largest commercial solar development in the District and we are really making a difference by building solar installations across the city and changing the way that DC is getting its energy. ...How can one opportunity change your life? I would say it can change 180 degrees if you get this opportunity.”
PATRICIO ALVAREZ
PV Designer, New Columbia Solar
Former Solar Works DC participant
PV Designer, New Columbia Solar
Former Solar Works DC participant
DC’s economy is strong, but the work to address income inequality and make our city’s prosperity more inclusive continues. As Washington, DC continues our comeback from COVID-19, we have before us a unique opportunity to give more Washingtonians a fair shot by creating and attracting good-paying jobs and making sure DC residents have the skills and knowledge to fill those jobs.
